SDH Captioned
Grades 10 - 12, College, Adults
Directed by Cheryl Fabio
Produced by Cheryl Fabio, Michael Munson
DVD Purchase $350, Rent $95
US Release Date: 2024
Copyright Date: 2023
DVD ISBN: 1-961192-25-X
Subjects
African-American Studies
American Studies
Community Organizing
Government
Housing Policy
Human Rights
Law
Mental Health
Political Science
Poverty
Psychology
Race and Racism
Social Justice
Social Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Urban Studies
Urban and Regional Planning
Awards and Festivals
Oakland International Film Festival
African American Women in Cinema
Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival
Impact Film Festival
An in-depth look at the impacts of homelessness on Black children and their families.
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"[M]oving and compelling...illustrates homelessness as a consequence of policymaking, not personal choice." Emmy Tiderington, Assoc Prof, Social Work, Rutgers Univ |
[Note: Community screenings of A RISING TIDE can be booked at Bullfrog Communities.]
Seen primarily through the eyes of women and children of color living through housing insecurity in California's Alameda County, A RISING TIDE aims to identify how and why homelessness occurs.
The film juxtaposes the perspectives of various stakeholders affected by the "affordable-housing industrial complex," capturing the adversity faced by homeless families in Oakland and exploring the plight of service providers and social workers on the frontlines of the housing crises.
In the Bay Area minimum wage employment doesn't afford families—particularly those of color—the basic necessities for raising their children in decent housing with childcare, food, transportation, and adequate health care. The consequences of this deprivation increase wildly when homelessness is prolonged due to systemic failures and policy-based deficiencies.
The film highlights the historical context that has directly caused and continues to exacerbate the demographics of segregation in California.
Ultimately, A RISING TIDE aims to shift the narrative, challenging a commonly held misconception—including by some professionals working on affordable housing solutions—that unhoused individuals are all addicts or suffering from mental health issues. It also asks what considerations should be addressed to serve the unhoused when cities and counties are planning new housing.
Reviews
"A deeply engaging film that paints a portrait of current day homelessness and poverty in a Californian community. Importantly, Rising Tide speaks to the country's structural racial discrimination and injustices that have set the stage for the current housing and homelessness disaster."
"A moving and compelling documentary that powerfully illustrates homelessness as a consequence of policymaking, not personal choice. By putting faces to the lived experiences of housing insecurity, it offers a profound and necessary perspective on this pressing issue that will be useful to instructors, students, and policy advocates."
"A Rising Tide does an excellent job of situating California's homelessness crisis within the larger structural forces that have led people, especially people of color, to become unhoused. This film blends human stories with history and clear explanations of how homelessness and housing systems work, as well as measured critiques of how those systems still all far short in responding to need. It is an excellent introduction to the topic for both undergraduate and graduate courses in housing policy, social work, public policy, and/or homelessness."
"This is a beautiful, critically conscious film. I deeply appreciate how A Rising Tide shares the real stories of folks experiencing homelessness, providing them with a platform to show their power and the complexity of their experiences. Homelessness is a symptom of racism and wealth inequality, and this realization is fundamental to our understanding of this social problem. I look forward to sharing this film with students and audiences, and recommending it for others to do the same."